Arabella had dinner with her agent, Jack Rollins, after the big audition. He took her to a new restaurant, Christophe’s in Beverly Hills, which had just opened and was already over-flowing with an A-list clientele.
As they moved through the restaurant to their table, Jack stopped and spoke to several stars along the way. Jack was an important agent in Hollywood and people respected him personally and professionaly. He was charming, shrewd, and a brilliant negotiator. Arabella loved watching him greet people; he had a sharp wit and great sense of humor, which served him well in all that he did.
When they were seated, he told her he’d heard from the casting director, Martha Kilroy. She said they’d all been impressed with her reading and would probably be bringing her back for a second reading in a day or two. The director had really liked her and the producer felt she was very special and brought unexpected things to the part.
Arabella could barely contain her excitement. It would mean everything to her to get this part. She loved the character and playing a part in a David Sanders film would be tremendous for her career. It could be the beginning of everything she wanted.
The next night at the acting workshop in Los Angeles where she took acting classes, she spoke to Mr. B, her teacher, about the audition. He told her when she went back to read again, to keep her focus on what she wanted from the other character and how she was going to get it. This would keep her present and involved with the scene, rather than feeling worried and nervous.
While working out at the gym the next morning, Arabella got a text that she had a callback that afternoon at 3 o’clock. She let out a cry when she read it and people around turned to look. She quickly gathered her things and drove home to start getting ready and continue her work on the scene.
That afternoon at the audition, David Sanders began to direct her in the scene and had another actor there to work with her in improvisations he created. It was demanding and exhilarating at the same time. He looked pleased and told her he liked what she was doing and what she brought to the part.
She drove home thrilled and excited beyond belief. She knew he liked her and really felt this part could be hers. When she arrived home, she got a call from her agent to turn around and go back. They wanted to do a screen test with her and the actor cast to play the other supporting role.
This was great! It meant they were really serious about her. She was going to get this! Trying to get back to the studio as fast as she could, she was stuck in traffic while a thousand things were running through her head.
When she finally got there, Arabella recognized the actor who was doing the screen test with her. He was a good actor, well known and well respected.
He also was impossible to work with. It seemed to be all about him. No matter what she did, it didn’t seem to work for him. The director was getting frustrated and they took a break. Outside in the hall, one of the producers came up to her and said, “Everyone loves you. Just do what you did in the first reading.”
She relaxed and when they started again, it went better. When it was over, David Sanders smiled and said to her,” Very nice, Arabella. Lovely.”
When she got home, she went into the bedroom, put her things down and fell onto the bed, exhausted. She must have been out for three hours. When she woke up, Jeff was standing beside the bed. He said he’d run into David Sanders at the studio and he told him how much they liked her, but they’d decided to go with the other actress. Jeff then proceeded to say, “You don’t want to be an actress. You have too much class.” And he walked out of the room.
She lay there for a moment stunned. She then got up, grabbed a sweater and her purse and headed for her car. She drove to the beach. She needed to hear the waves crashing and feel the enormous space around her. She began to cry. A little bit at first, and then her sobs grew bigger and bigger. She was shaking and could hardly breathe. Her heart was broken, she was utterly devastated. She’d lost the most important role of her career and she knew now she couldn’t stay with Jeff.
It was the toughest day of her life. She didn’t know where to turn. And then she thought of Mr. B. He would know the right words to say. He had always said the right thing at the right time. He felt that acting was a noble profession. He loved actors and he cared. That was what she had to do. She had to find Mr. B, he would help her to find her way.
As she drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, she put the windows down and let the wind blow through her hair. R.E.M’s “Losing My Religion” was playing on the radio.
“That’s me in the corner
That’s me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don’t know if I can do it…”
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